The Haining in Selkirk hosts a new bench, which will attract people from far and wide due to the meaning behind its being: a memorial to Scott Hutchison.

Born in Edinburgh in 1981, Hutchison grew up in Selkirk and formed the band ‘Frightened Rabbit’ in his mid-twenties. The band grew to form a very devoted fanbase. Musically, the band is brilliant, but it was Scott's brutally honest lyrics that drew most people in - he had a way of saying things and expressing complex feelings in poetic, simple ways that made you feel understood, like you knew him.

A book dedicated to the lyrics of a band isn’t something that would usually be warranted, let alone be a complete necessity. The Work contains the entire opus of one of Scotland’s most potently poetic songwriters, Scott Hutchison.

Hutchison founded and fronted the band Frightened Rabbit, after studying illustration at the Glasgow School of Art. The book encapsulates all his creative outlets in one, combining: printed lyrics, original handwritten scrawls and illustrations to accompany them. In opening these 160 pages, you are taken on a journey through the way in which Scott saw life and are allowed an insight into his creative process – and what a journey it is.

Scott dove deep into the darkest abyss and ascended from it with songs which paint vivid pictures on some of the deepest and most personal areas of life and, for the most part, where to find hope. His ability to write these brutally honest, poignant songs garnered them a cult following of loyal fans. Each record a cathartic form of audio therapy, his words helped make sense of life in ways it’s hard to even form in your own thoughts. That’s why in 2018, when he took his own life, it felt like losing a friend.

The Frightened Rabbit songs remain a solid companion in life, that’s why this book exists – that’s why it matters. You find yourself setting their discography to shuffle and flick through the book to find each song: savouring every word and moment. That is where this book can be enjoyed most. It is a poetic masterpiece on its own but when accompanied with the music – it is perfect.

Get your copy of The Work, here.

A 'Frightened Rabbit' Fan’s Pilgrimage